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U.N. resolution condemning North Korea targets Kim Jong Un for rights abuses

By Elizabeth Shim
A new draft resolution circulating among U.N. member states is proposing North Korea rights violations be referred to the International Criminal Court. File Photo by Monika Graff/UPI
A new draft resolution circulating among U.N. member states is proposing North Korea rights violations be referred to the International Criminal Court. File Photo by Monika Graff/UPI | License Photo

NEW YORK, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- A United Nations General Assembly committee was presented with a draft resolution on North Korea human rights violations on Thursday, which includes clear wording on the need to punish Kim Jong Un, or the "leadership," for rights abuses.

The document also calls for the violations to be referred to the International Criminal Court, which marks the third time U.N. member states are appealing to others to refer the violations, which include summary executions, rape and torture, to the ICC, Yonhap reported.

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The resolution condemns the exploitation of North Korean forced laborers overseas and links the development of nuclear weapons to the human rights situation in the country, South Korean officials told news service No Cut News.

The draft proposal did not include any mention of the importance of inter-Korean dialogue and its role in improving North Korea's human rights situation. A Seoul official told No Cut News the absence of a "dialogue for dialogue's sake" clause reflects the current mood of the international community.

The assembly's third committee dealing with social, cultural and humanitarian issues has accepted the document authored by representatives from Japan and the European Union, and is circulating among members of the U.N.

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The committee is to meet mid-November to vote on the resolution, which will then be forwarded to the assembly in early December, the officials said.

The assembly has passed similar resolutions for 12 years.

U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in North Korea Tomás Ojea Quintana had also said on Thursday the military buildup in North Korea is threatening the livelihoods of millions of North Koreans, according to Voice of America.

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